Winner of the Rockower Award, the highest honor in Jewish journalism, this blog contains random musings of a journalist, father, husband, son, friend, poodle-owner, Red Sox fan and occasionally-ranting rabbi, taken from Shabbat-O-Grams, columns, speeches, letters, sermons and thin air. "On One Foot," the column, appears regularly in the New York Jewish Week, as well as a blog for the "Times of Israel."

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

S: When we meet people and they find out that we are
twins, they sometimes say that we don’t look
alike, and that is because we are fraternal
twins. Not only do we not look alike, we
also don't have the same personalities.
For example:

E: I like the Yankees.

S: and I like the Red Sox.

E: However, we
do have some common interests.

S: We both love
comics, humor, and just about anything that can put a smile on your face.

E: You could
say that we’re pretty happy guys.

S: Speaking of
being happy, did you know that Sukkot is also called “Z’manSimchateynu”,
which means “the time of our happiness”.
Therefore, we thought we could talk about what makes us happy, and what this has to do with Sukkot.

E: The book of Kohelet
(or Ecclesiastes), which we read today (the 3rd day of
Sukkot), talks about happiness and wisdom on how to lead a good life. Also, Sam and I love Peanuts, you know, the comic strip. And, in Peanuts,
they often talk about happiness and how to have a good life. Therefore, Kohelet and Peanuts bothhave “happiness” in
common.

S: We would like to share a few quotes with you about
happiness and wisdom on how to lead a good life both from the book of Kohelet
and Peanuts. See if you can guess
which quote comes from which book.

E: Here is the first one: “It is better to go to a
house of mourning than house of feasting, for that is the end of every person.”
(1) This quote means that it is better to celebrate an entire person’s life, rather than just one event.

S: Please raise your hand if you think this is a Peanuts quote.

(Pause a moment, while they raise their hands.)

E: And please raise your hand if you think this is a Kohelet quote.

(Congregation
raises their hands.)

S: If you thought this is a Kohelet quote, then you are correct. Now here is the second
quote: “I have a new philosophy: I’m only going to
dread one day at a time.” (2) This means don`t fear the future.

E: Ok, it is a Peanuts
quote. Here is another quote: “Everything happens in its time. The only thing that matters is to enjoy
oneself and do what is good in our lifetime.” (3) This means that people should
enjoy life by doing the right thing.

S: Please raise your hand if you think it is a Peanuts quote.

E: And please raise your hand if you think it is a Kohelet quote.

S: It is a Kohelet
quote. Ok: “A whole stack of memories can never equal one little hope.” (4)
This means that it is better to look toward the future than to simply dwell on
the past.

E: Please raise your hand if you think it is a Peanuts quote.

S: And, please raise your hand if you think it is a Kohelet quote.

E: That was a Peanuts
quote. Ok, here is the next quote: “Whenever someone eats and drinks and gets
enjoyment out of all his wealth it is a gift from G-d.” (5) Be appreciative of what
you have, and everything comes from G-d.

S: Please raise your hand if you think it is a Peanuts quote.

E: And please raise your hand if you think it is a Kohelet quote.

S: It was a Kohelet
quote. Alright, here is another one: “I
think I’ve discovered the secret of life: you hang around
until you get used to it.” (6) Don`t give up, keep trying until you succeed.

E: Please raise your hand if you think it is a Peanuts quote.

S: And please raise your hand if you think it is a Kohelet quote.

E: That was a Peanuts
quote. Ok, here is the next quote: “My life has no purpose, no direction, no
aim, no meaning, and yet I am happy. I
can’t figure it out.
What am I doing right?” (7) This means don`t question good fortune.

S: Please raise your hand if you think it is a Peanutsquote.

E: And please raise your hand if you think it is a Kohelet quote.

S: That was a Peanuts
quote. Ok, here is the final quote: “In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back.” (8) This means you can`t cheat in life
and you don`t always know how to do everything, but you can figure it out.

E: Please raise your hand if you think it is a Peanuts quote.

S: And please raise your hand if you think it is a Kohelet quote.

E: It was a Peanuts quote. So - does anyone here want to give us another example of what
happiness is? (Walking around with mic –
2 people each)

S: Here are some examples of our own: “Happiness is getting a hundred on a hard
test.”

E: “Happiness is a good side dish.”

S: It is?

E: It very much
is!

S: Here’s one from John
Lennon: “When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted
to be when I grew up. I wrote down happy. They told me I didn't understand the
assignment. I told them they didn't
understand life.”

E: I think happiness is a long festival in the fall
where you get to go outside, in order to
go inside, and you get to wave branches
and shake an etrog. You also get to eat
in the Sukkah and fulfill a mitzvah.

S: Sukkot really is the “time of our happiness”. Plus, we get to march around with the Torahs
on Simchat Torah, to signify our happiness for finishing reading the
Torah. Sukkot and Simhat Torah – it’s two holidays in one.

E: As Kohelet says, “Two
are better than one!”

S: And we’re the proof of that! (Sam
& Ethan high five together)

E: Our mitzvah project also brought us happiness. For several months earlier this year, we went
to the Boys and Girls Club of Stamford to help kids from grades 1-4 with their
homework. We will continue volunteering
throughout this school year. It was a lot of fun, and we felt appreciated when
the kids thanked us.

S: In addition to helping kids with their homework, we
are collecting board games and art supplies to donate to the children at the
Boys & Girls Club. We also bought board
games to donate with money we earned over the summer. Finally, we have helped to put the chairs
away on Friday night after Shabbat services - those beautiful chairs donated by
Sisterhood, which at the time was led by our mom.